Chocolate Orange Cake

I had some soured cream that needed using up and needed a cake to cheer up a friend so I decided to experiment and bake this delicious cake, guaranteed to brighten up a gloomy day.

Chocolate Orange Cake

160g softened butter

140g caster sugar

2 tsp vanilla bean paste

3 free range eggs

190g self-raising flour

40g cocoa powder

170g soured cream or thick set natural/Greek yoghurt

1 Tblsp finely grated orange zest

5 Tblsp/75ml freshly squeezed orange juice

Chocolate Orange Icing:

175g icing sugar

1 or 2 Tblsp cocoa powder

Enough freshly squeezed orange juice to make a spreadable icing

Preheat your oven to 180C/160C Fan.  Grease and line a deep, 20cm round cake tin with non-stick baking paper.

Use a hand held electric beater or stand mixer to cream the butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  If the mixture looks like it might curdle, add a tablespoon flour with each egg which will stabilise the mixture.  Gently fold through the flour, soured cream, orange zest and orange juice until the mixture is just smooth.

Pour the mixture into your prepared cake tin and smooth the surface.  Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.  Cool in the tin.

To make the icing, use a wooden spoon to beat the icing sugar, cocoa and orange juice until smooth.  Put the cake onto your serving plate, spread over the icing and serve once icing has set.

3 comments Cakes, RBoK, Vegetarian

Our Family Meal Plan for this week 24/11/2013 - £46

I had a busy week last week, too busy which meant that I was unexpectedly really poorly this weekend.  This week will be much quieter and I am determined to manage things better and not take as much on so I avoid the run down feeling and tiredness that has plaqued me for weeks.  Easier said than done but I will try my best.

Lunches for the kids will be school dinners to give me a rest and a break, my daughters will probably moan but they appreciated packed lunches more if they have school dinners once in a while.  Grown-ups lunches will be Root Vegetable Soup and Tomato Soup from the freezer defrosted as and when we need it.

Breakfasts will be porridge with homemade fruit compote.  I will bake some treats for after school snacks and morning teas.

Dinners

Roast Chicken with Roast Vegetables and Yorkshire Puddings

Chicken Soup

Mixed Vegetable and Pearl Barley Risotto, using up any leftover chicken and stock

Toad In The Hole

Vegetable Stew with Herbed Dumplings

Quesadillas

Sausage, Vegetable and Pearl Barley Hotpot

Shopping List

25 items: £46.08

Packets and Cereals

1x   Mornflake Superfast Oats (2Kg)                                     £2.18

1x   Great Scot Pearl Barley (500g)                                       64p

Frozen

2x   ASDA Smartprice Mixed Vegetables (1Kg)                     £1.50

Tins, Jars and Cooking

1x   ASDA Smartprice Chopped Tomatoes (400g)                 31p

1x   ASDA Chosen by You Chilli Beans (290g)                      48p

Dairy and Eggs

4x   ASDA British Semi Skimmed Milk 4 Pints (2.27L)            £4.00

1x   ASDA English Medium White Cheddar (450g)                 £2.50

1x   ASDA English White Mature Cheddar (450g)                  £2.50

Meat, Fish and Poultry

2x   ASDA Extra Special Pork Sausages (6 per pack - 454g) £5.00

1.8kg ASDA Extra Special British Free Range Whole Chicken £8.96

Fruit and Vegetables

12   ASDA Bananas (Approx 170g)                                      £1.39

10   ASDA Royal Gala Apples (Approx 160g)                       £2.56

1     ASDA Parsnips (Approx 250g)                                      37.3p

1     ASDA Butternut Squash (Approx 850g)                          80.8p

1x   ASDA Celery                                                                50p

1x   ASDA Trimmed Leeks (500g)                                         £1.00

1x   ASDA Garlic Loose                                                       30p

1x   ASDA Smartprice Peppers (700g)                                  £1.58

1x   ASDA Spring Onions                                                    50p

1x   ASDA Sweet Potatoes (1Kg)                                         £1.00

2x   Inspire Premium Baking Potatoes (2Kg)                         £3.00

2     ASDA Swede Portion by Weight (100g)                         24p

2x   ASDA Carrots (1.2Kg)                                                   £2.00

2x   ASDA Smartprice Pears (500g)                                      £1.58

Bakery

1x   ASDA Mexican Plain Flour Tortillas (10)                         £1.18

Prices and special offers reflect those of the online grocery website My Supermarket, and are correct as of 24 November 2013.  Prices may vary in different in-store locations.

Our groceries cost £46.08 from Asda, had I shopped at Tesco they would've cost £49.49 and £52.66 from Sainsbury's.

Don't forget to check out other Meal Plans on the Meal Planning Monday linky over on At Home With Mrs M.

2 comments Breakfast, Chicken, Dinners, Meal Plan, Pork, Soup, Vegetarian

Festive Brioche

I travelled to London on a chilly sunny day this week to attend a Brioche Masterclass in association with Brioche Pasquier.  There were blogging friends old and new to natter with as we baked, and of course delicious morsels to keep us going.

After getting slightly lost on the way to the venue, involving a hike up and back down a very big hill, we got to the event and after a welcome cuppa got started on the brioche baking process.  Note to self: Never trust instructions on the website of a venue, always use your own map, and if Wharf is mentioned in the venue address it is unlikely to be uphill. Yes Helen, you were right!

I had a fab time and adapted the recipe from the event to bake some Festive Brioche which went down very well in our household.  These would be fab for afternoon tea, brunch or a breakfast on the go.

Festive Brioche

500g strong bread flour

100g water

3 free range eggs

125g butter

60g caster sugar

40g instant yeast

8g salt

60g caster sugar

1 tsp mixed spice or cinnamon

100g dried cranberries

100g chocolate chips, I used dark chocolate

Glaze:

1 free range egg

2 Tblsp milk

Put the flour into a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.  Add the salt and first measure of sugar to one side of the bowl and then add the yeast to the other side of the bowl.  Add the water, eggs and butter than mix on a low speed for 3 minutes then 5 minutes on medium speed.  Add the rest of the sugar and mixed spice before kneading for another 5 - 10 minutes until the dough is smooth, shiny and elastic.

Knead through the chocolate and cranberries.  Divide the dough into portions of 50g and shape each into a ball.  Put on lined baking trays and brush with water to stop the dough from drying out.  Leave to prove until doubled in size, this took about an hour and a half. Brush the brioche with the glaze and sprinkle over crushed sugar if you like.

Preheat your oven to 200C/180C Fan and bake the brioche for 10 - 12 minutes.  Leave the brioche to cool before serving.

I iced these Brioche with orange flavoured icing and topped them with festive sprinkles

I topped these Brioche with crunchy Demerara sugar before baking.

Many thanks to Brioche Pasquier for the goodie bag and for paying my travel expenses to attend the event.

2 comments Basics, Bread, Breakfast, Christmas, Gift Ideas, PR Event, Vegetarian

Our Low Faff, Slow Cooker Based Meal Plan for this week - £53

Apologies for the lack of Meal Plan last week, I simply ran out of time to blog it.  We've another busy week this week, I've a couple of meetings in the evenings as well as my usual 2 night shifts and am in London 3 times so low faff, slow cooker and make ahead meals is our theme for this week.  It's our Wedding Anniversary this week to so hubby and I will be ordering a takeaway for our dinner that night once the kids are in bed.

My daughters are having packed lunches, much to their relief.  School dinners just aren't filling enough for them and they aren't that fussed about the quality of the food either.  Packed lunches will be Wholemeal Savoury Swirls with crudites, herbed yoghurt dip, a piece of fruit and a baked treat for afters.  I had thought about giving them flasks of soup or stew but they wanted to save that until a less busy week and I wasn't about to argue.

Breakfasts will be porridge with homemade fruit compote.  Weekend lunches will be at friends both days so I will be taking a pudding along, some homemade cordials for the kids and wine for the adults.

Dinners

Slow Cooker Vegetable Casserole. leftovers as pasties

Slow Cooker Sausage and Lentil Stew

Bean Burritos

Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole

Crustless Quiche

Homemade Fish and Chips

Macaroni Cheese with Vegetables

Shopping List

34 items: £52.68

Packets and Cereals

1x   Mornflake Superfast Oats (2Kg)                                          £2.08

1x   ASDA Wholefoods Strong White Bread Flour (1.5Kg)          80p

1x   ASDA Wholemeal Bread Flour (1.5Kg)                                 £1.26

1x   Jus Rol Shortcrust Pastry Block (500g)                                £1.10

1x   Asda Home Baking Easy Bake Yeast (6 per pack - 42g)       65p

1x   Great Scot Chick Peas (500g)                                             95p

1x   Great Scot Green Lentils (500g)                                           £1.29

1x   Cook Italian Wholewheat Fusilli (500g)                                 £1.00

Frozen

2x   ASDA Smartprice Mixed Vegetables (1Kg)                          £1.50

1x   ASDA Whitefish Fillets (500g)                                             £2.00

1x   ASDA Chosen by You Casserole Mix (1Kg)                         £1.00

Tins, Jars and Cooking

3x   ASDA Smartprice Chopped Tomatoes (400g)                      93p

2x   ASDA Chosen by You Chilli Beans (290g)                           96p

Dairy and Eggs

1x   ASDA Soured Cream (150ml)                                              60p

4x   ASDA British Semi Skimmed Milk 4 Pints (2.27L)                 £4.00

2x   ASDA Smartprice Low Fat Natural Yogurt (500g)                  90p

1x   ASDA Rich and Creamy Unsalted Butter British (250g)         £1.00

1x   Suffolk Farm Medium Free Range Eggs (6)                         £1.38

1x   ASDA English Medium White Cheddar (450g)                      £2.50

1x   ASDA English White Mature Cheddar (450g)                        £2.50

Meat, Fish and Poultry

1x   ASDA Extra Special Pork Sausages (6 per pack - 454g)       £2.50

1x   Banham Poultry Chicken Drumsticks (1Kg)                           £4.00

Fruit and Vegetables

12   ASDA Bananas (Approx 170g)                                            £1.39

13   ASDA Royal Gala Apples (Approx 160g)                             £3.33

1     ASDA Butternut Squash (Approx 850g)                               80.8p

2     ASDA Sweet Potatoes (Approx 460g)                                 £1.18

1x   ASDA Celery                                                                      89p

1x   ASDA Baking Potatoes (2.5Kg)                                           £2.25

1x   ASDA Garlic Loose                                                            30p

1x   ASDA Smartprice Peppers (700g)                                       £1.58

1x   ASDA Courgettes (3)                                                          £1.50

1x   ASDA Smartprice Brown Onions (2Kg)                                98p

2x   ASDA Carrots (1.2Kg)                                                        £2.00

2x   ASDA Smartprice Pears (500g)                                           £1.58

Prices and special offers reflect those of the online grocery website My Supermarket and are correct as of 17^th November 2013.  Prices may vary in different in-store locations.

Our shopping cost £52.68 from Asda, it would've cost £54.19 from Tesco or £56.79 from Sainsbury's.  Don't forget to check out all the other Meal Plans over on At Home With Mrs M.

4 comments Bread, Breakfast, Dinners, Fish, Lunches, Meal Plan, Meatfree Monday, Slow Cooker, Vegetarian

Tesco Christmas Chocolates and Finest Products Review

I love creating recipes and Meal Plans, those are the reasons why I blog and carry on doing so.  However, I get many emails offering to send us some delicious products to try out and review.  I do say no to a lot of them but was recently offered some of the Tesco Christmas Chocolates range and some Finest products to celebrate the relaunch of the brand and my family insisted we try them out.

I shared the chocolates with my husband and children, mainly because they discovered them before I could hide them.  And we all shared the Finest products over numerous meals last week.  I also used some of the products when friends came for dinner to gather more opinions.

Here's what we thought:

Chokablok Christmas Pudding 150G

The chocolate tree was rich and creamy with Christmas pudding flavour chocolate containing raisins. It was topped with golden flakes coated and with a swirl of dark chocolate. My husband wasn't that keen on it but my children and I enjoyed it and I would happily give as a stocking filler or Secret Santa gift. RRP £5.00 each but currently on offer of 2 for £8. The ChokaBlok trees are also available in Santastic Cinnamon, and Cherry Merry Christmas flavours.

Tesco Milk Chocolate Gingerbread Stars 100G

These milk chocolate stars are topped with caramelised biscuit pieces, ginger crumble and drizzled with white chocolate. Hubby and I weren't fans of these but my 3 children devoured them happily.  RRP £3.50 a box, currently on offer of 2 for £6.  We would prefer the dark chocolate raspberry brownie buttons box also in this range.  That pack contains dark chocolate buttons with swirls of white chocolate, brownie pieces and freeze dried raspberry pieces.

Tesco Finest Yoghurts 5 for £3.50

These yoghurts were delicious, rich and creamy, a welcome after lunch or afternoon tea treat.  My favourite was the Madagascan Vanilla flavour.

Tesco Finest Desserts, currently on offer of 2 for £7

I bought the Raspberry Roulade and Sicilian Lemon and Lime Meringue Tart for a treat as we were having friends over for dinner.  Both went down fairly well, the roulade was particularly popular.  Some felt the filling of the Lemon and Lime Meringue tart was a little sickly and sweet rather than zingy and the pastry was a little too thick.

We had a quick and easy dinner of Fish Fingers, Chips and Peas which was a welcome meal on a Friday when we were all exhausted and grumpy.  The fish fingers were delicious, the chips chunky and flavoursome and the peas were a good accompanyment offering a little freshness.

I made a Toad In The Hole with these sausages, they were flavoursome and meaty, my family declared them to be delicious.

I couldn't resist this taste of home, lovely honey which was a welcome addition to our toast for breakfast. 

Many thanks to Tesco for sending the chocolate and vouchers for me to select some Finest products to review.  All opinions and views expressed are my own and those of my family and friends.

1 comment Christmas, Dinners, Gift Ideas, Puddings, Review

Spiced Orange and Treacle Muffins

I baked these muffins on a cold and wet Autumn afternoon for a nice warming treat with a cuppa.  The muffins went down well with adults and kids alike.  You can vary the ingredients to suit your taste, use ground ginger instead of mixed spice, golden syrup instead of treacle, lemon icing instead of orange or leave them uniced.  Whether you follow my recipe or change it to suit your taste, these morsels will be a welcome treat.

Spiced Orange and Treacle Muffins

125g butter

100g light soft brown sugar

185g treacle

190g plain flour

1 tsp ground mixed spice

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 free range egg, lightly beaten

160ml milk

Finely grated zest of one orange

Orange Icing

2 - 3 Tblsp orange juice

300g icing sugar, or more as necessary

Preheat oven to 170ºC /150ºC Fan.  Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.

Put the butter, soft brown sugar and treacle into a saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally.  Once the mixture boils, immediately reduce the heat to low and allow the mixture to simmer for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Sift the flour, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl.  Make a well in the centre of the sifted dry ingredients and pour in the cooled treacle mixture, milk and lightly beaten egg then add the orange zest.  Stir gently until well combined.

Spoon the batter evenly into the paper cases. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.  Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.  Spread each muffin with some orange icing and decorate with more finely grated orange zest.

Orange Icing

Combine orange juice and icing sugar in a bowl and mix to a spreadable consistency.

3 comments Cakes, Muffins, Snacks, Vegetarian

Chocolate Orange and Cranberry Cookies

Christmas is coming and I usually bake quite a few batches of cookies to give as gifts, for school bake sales and when friends drop in for afternoon tea.  This cookie recipe is really versatile, add some ground cinnamon or ginger to the mixture, vary the dried fruit, leave out the dried fruit or vary the flavour of the chocolate - multi coloured chocolate beans are a great idea when baking these for kids.  

I baked these cookies for an after school treat and used a dark chocolate orange my husband had in his not so secret chocolate stash. Don't worry, he won't miss it as there are 8 others I bought when they were on offer for £1 each. They are his absolute favourite so I stock up when I can.

Chocolate Orange and Cranberry Cookies

300g plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
185g butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 dollop vanilla bean paste
200g light soft brown sugar
50g cup caster sugar
1 free range egg
1 chocolate orange or 100g orange flavoured dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks
60g dried cranberries

Preheat your oven to 180C and line several baking trays with non-stick baking paper.

Combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda, chocolate and cranberries in a large bowl.  In another bowl mix together the melted butter, vanilla extract, egg and both sugars.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients in the larger bowl.  Mix everything until thoroughly combined.

Put large teaspoonfuls of mixture on to the prepared oven trays, leaving some room for the cookies to spread during cooking. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes. Cool on the trays for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

I'm entering these cookies into several Blogging Challenge Events and Linkys.

Alphabakes created by The More than Occasional Baker and Caroline Makes, Caroline is hosting this month and the letter is O.

We Should Cocoa managed by Choclette of Chocolate Log Blog and hosted this month by BakeNQuilt, the theme is cookies. 

The Biscuit Barrel Challenge hosted by Laura at I'd Much Rather Be Baking Than . . . . where the theme is Festive and Party.  These cookies are great for festive kids parties and an edible gift.

Cooks Joy hosts Bake Fest each month for vegetarian and vegan creations that are baked or broiled.

Family Foodie Challenge, created by Lou at Eat Your Veg and hosted by Vanesther at Bangers and Mash where the theme is lunchbox ideas, who wouldn't want one of these cookies in their lunchbox as a baked treat!

One Ingredient created and hosted alternate months by Nazima from Franglais Kitchen and Laura from How To Cook Good Food, the theme this month is Fruit of the Vine and Nazima is hosting.

Tea Time Treats created and hosted alternate months by Kate from What Kate Baked, and Karen from Lavender and Lovage, the theme this month is Dried Fruits and Karen is hosting.

Festive Fridays is a fab linky from Chris who blogs at Thinly Spread, there's also a fab Pinterest Board of all the festive culinary creations.

Foodie Gifts for Christmas hosted by Larderlove was created to celebrate the launch of her new Kindle eBook, link up all of your festive edible gifts.

I've also linked up with Recipe of the Week hosted each week my Emily over at A Mummy Too.

7 comments Basics, Biscuits, Christmas, RBoK, Snacks, Vegetarian

Allotment Update - Autumn Harvest

Over the last few weeks we have been steadily harvesting produce from the allotments we tend.  It is so rewarding being able to eat what we've grown ourselves, the product of much hard work.  Here's a sample of the harvest we bought back from just one session, there has been such a bountiful harvest we are very grateful and feel very fortunate to have had successful crops.  I've made many jars of jams, bottles of cordials and containers of compote from the fruit trees and various berries grown in the fruit cage as well.

We spent a couple of hours at the allotments both days of this weekend. My husband battled the nettles and grass with a strimmer which made both plots much easier to work on and they looked a lot tidier after he'd finished. I had a go with the strimmer as well, I do rather like power tools! We harvested a lot of produce, weeded nearly all the beds and covered most of them over for the winter. Only those with winter hardy greens and vegetables not quite big enough to harvest were left uncovered. The weather was sunny but crisp with a brisk cold wind at times, thankfully no downpours.

On Saturday we harvested 12 leeks, 4 cauliflowers, 4 cabbages, 10 swedes, 5kg of potatoes and loads of chard. On Sunday we harvested more chard, 3 broccoli, 10kg potatoes, 8 beetroot and 3kg of some rather large carrots which had been obscured by some of the chard, ooops!

We've kept some of our harvest and also gave some away to friends and neighbours, there was a bit too much for us to use.  None will be wasted though, I've already cooked and frozen some in soups, stews and on it's own.  Luckily we have a chest freezer which comes with our rented house, so handy when we have a huge harvest like this.  We've thoroughly enjoyed the 6 months we've been able to work the allotments and look forward to more tending and harvesting.  I still need to prune the plants in the fruit cage, hopefully will get it done over the next week or so.

4 comments Allotment

Our Meal Plan for this week 04/11/2103 - £53

It's back to school this week for all 3 girls after half term week.  I've got a busy week with Parent Consultations at school, a trip to Leeds and back in the same day, my usual work shifts and school governor meetings too.

Low faff is the theme for this week.  My 3 girls will be having school dinners, much to their dismay, as I am trying to keep everything as simple as possible to save my sanity.

Breakfasts will be cereal (wheat biscuits) with warm milk and a piece of fruit for afters or porridge with homemade fruit compote.

Weekend Lunches will be Allotment Picnic Slice.

Dinners

Monday Night Vegetable Curry - Monday

Giant Sausage Rolls - Tuesday and Wednesday

Easy Fish Pilaf - Thursday

Macaroni Cheese - Friday

Roast Chicken with Roast Vegetables - Saturday

Leftover Roast Chicken Pie - Sunday

350g leftover cooked chicken, cut into small chunks or shredded
2 leeks, finely sliced
leftover roast vegetables, diced
300ml pot soured cream
1 or 2 Tblsp wholegrain mustard
2 Tblsp chopped fresh chives or 1 spring onion, finely sliced
1 tsp dried tarragon
Puff pastry, ready made

Preheat your oven to 180C

Put all the filling ingredients into a bowl and mix until well combined then season to taste.  Pour into pie dish then cover with the pastry to form a lid.  Brush the pastry with a little milk to glaze and make a couple of small vents in the pasty to let steam escape.  Bake for 30 minutes until the pastry is puffed up and golden.

Shopping List

29 items: £52.72

Packets and Cereals

2x   ASDA Chosen by You Wheat Bisks (24x18g)                      £2.00

1x   Mornflake Superfast Oats (2Kg)                                         £2.08

2x   Jus Rol Puff Pastry Block (500g)                                        £2.00

1x   ASDA Basmati White Rice (1Kg)                                        £1.78

1x   Cook Italian Wholewheat Fusilli (500g)                                 £1.00

Frozen

2x   ASDA Smartprice Mixed Vegetables (1Kg)                         £1.50

1x   ASDA Whitefish Fillets (500g)                                            £2.00

Dairy and Eggs

1x   ASDA Soured Cream (300ml)                                             £1.10

1x   ASDA Soured Cream (150ml)                                             60p

4x   ASDA British Semi Skimmed Milk 4 Pints (2.27L)                 £4.00

2x   Suffolk Farm Medium Free Range Eggs (6)                         £2.00

1x   ASDA Smartprice Mature White Cheddar (830g)                  £3.94

1x   ASDA Chosen by You Natural Set Yogurt (500g)                 90p

Meat, Fish and Poultry

1x   ASDA Extra Special Pork Sausages (6 per pack - 454g)      £2.50

17   ASDA British Free Range Corn Fed Whole Chicken (100g)   £6.77

Fruit and Vegetables

12   ASDA Bananas (Approx 170g)                                           £1.39

13   ASDA Royal Gala Apples (Approx 160g)                            £3.33

2     ASDA Butternut Squash (Approx 850g)                              £1.62

1     ASDA Sweet Potatoes (Approx 460g)                                58.9p

1x   ASDA Celery                                                                     89p

1x   ASDA Trimmed Leeks (500g)                                              £1.00

2x   ASDA Baking Potatoes (2.5Kg)                                          £2.80

1x   ASDA Garlic Loose                                                           30p

1x   ASDA Smartprice Peppers (700g)                                      £1.58

1x   ASDA Courgettes (3)                                                         £1.00

1x   ASDA Spring Onions                                                         50p

1x   ASDA Smartprice Brown Onions (2Kg)                               98p

1x   ASDA Carrots (1.2Kg)                                                        £1.00

2x   ASDA Smartprice Pears (500g)                                          £1.58

Prices and special offers reflect those of the online grocery website My Supermarket and are correct as of 3^rd November 2013.  Prices may vary in different in-store locations.

As usual I compared the price of my shopping which cost £52.72 from Asda, had I shopped elsewhere my groceries would've cost £63.10 from Tesco or £64.51 from Sainsburys.

Don't forget to check out the other Meal Plans that join the linky over on 

At Home With Mrs M.

4 comments Chicken, Fish, Lunches, Meatfree Monday, Pasta, Rice, Vegetarian

Credit Crunch Munch Round-Up - October

I was delighted to host Credit Crunch Munch last month, the blogging challenge co-created by Helen and Camilla.  We are big fans of frugal and tasty recipes in our household and it was brilliant to see all the delicious recipes shared in the blog hop.

Make a cuppa, get comfy and explore all 35 of the great recipes entered into Credit Crunch Munch during October.

Louisa from Eat Your Veg made a deliciously healthy and thrifty Leek and Sweet Potato Soup which her 3yo helped to prepare.

Sally from Recipe Junkie made this mouthwatering Caramel Apple Tart using leftovers and served it with leftover soured cream.  Brilliant and very tasty use of leftovers!

  

Janice from Farmer's Girl Kitchen also had some leftover pastry and made these scrumptious Cheesy Bites which I dear say would make a welcome addition to lunchboxes or equally a fab snack with a glass of wine.

Another delicious sweet treat, this time baked by Camilla from Fab Food 4 All who baked this delicious Spelt Danish Apple Ring using a glut of apples.

Louisa from Eat Your Veg also made Glamorgan Sausages, a fab vegetarian dinner option great for kids and adults alike.

A recipe I'm definitely going to try is Green Tomato Chutney with Raisins by Shaheen from Allotment 2 Kitchen, perfect for using up unripe tomatoes.

Jen from Blue Kitchen Bakes made Spiced Lentil and Carrot Soup, a delicious and warming recipe for chilly Autumn days and great to take to work in a flask for lunch.

Katie from Feeding Boys has a side dish ideal for busy families needing a quick fix dinner option, Quick Roast Potatoes.  I've made these a couple of times and they are a hit with my family, do give them a go they are fab!

Jac from Tinned Tomatoes made a gorgeous Spinach and Coconut Dal. Frugal, healthy and less than half an hour to make - just the thing for a busy week night supper.

I am a huge fan of chocolate brownies and these Beetroot and Orange Brownies from Chocolate Log Blog look delectable, such a stunning colour!

.

Janet from Taste Space baked Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Chickpea Cookies, no flour or gluten so great for Coeliacs and packed with protein too. 

Elizabeth from Elizabeth's Kitchen made delicious Spiced Cranberry Sauce, great for Thanksgiving and Christmas rapidly approaching.

Emma from Egyptian Mummy baked Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Spiced Cream Cheese Icing, perfect with a cuppa and easy to make.

Chris from Cooking Around the World make the Greek dish Strapatsada, a quick and nourishing supper.  It's great to discover thrifty dishes from other cuisines.

Elizabeth from Elizabeth's Kitchen had a Canadian Thanksgiving and made a delectable Blueberry Pie using reduced blueberries from the supermarket.  Deliciously thrifty!

Jacqueline from How To  Be A Gourmand shared a delicious breakfast idea, Walnut and Cherry Maple Granola. A great way to start the day!

Jude from A Trifle Rushed has a solution if you find yourself with a glut of apples, Apple Membrillo which keeps well in the fridge and is the perfect accompaniment for cheese - with a glass of wine, of course.

Lucy from Supergolden Bakes made Lentil Soup with Rosemary and Walnut Rolls, perfect for a warming Autumn lunch or supper. Her photos are stunning!

Deena made moutwatering Smoked Aubergine Polenta With Sweet and Spicy Tomatoes on top, a scrumptious Autumn supper and fab alternative to mash as a side dish.

Sarah from Dinner With Crayons shared her Fridge Bottom Soup recipe, perfect for using up any vegetables languishing in the fridge. The ultimate frugal Autumn supper!

Camilla from Fab Food 4 All made Plum and Apple Jam, perfect for preserving a taste of summer as we head into chilly Autumn and Winter, and great for gifts. 

Alida from My Little Kitchen shared her recipe for Pumpkin Gnocchi, brilliant for using up pumpkin from Halloween or a glut from an allotment.

I'd Much Rather Be Baking Than . . . baked a Fruit and Veg Cake which would be delicious with a cuppa and could almost count as one of your 'Five A Day'.

Helen, co-creator of Credit Crunch Munch, made Fat Free Mustard Dressing and Kale Salad.  A fresh and healthy way to boost your mood and vitamin intake.

Karen from Lavender and Lovage made Hot Baked Tatties, perfect for an easy Autumn lunch or Bonfire Night supper.

Penny from Penelope's Pantry shared her Lunch of Leftovers, spicing them up with some chilli and honey paste.  A brilliant and delicious idea to liven up leftovers!

Fiona from London Unattached made a delicious Leftover Chicken Risotto, perfect comfort food now the weather has turned colder.

Laura over at How To Cook baked Pumpkin Bread, a great way to use up leftover pumpkin from Halloween or purchase a reduced pumpkin from the supermarket to bake it.

Emma from Adventures of a London Kiwi shared her recipe for a mouthwatering Crustless Quiche, great for picnics, lunchboxes or a light supper. Delicious!

 

Chintal from Chins Kitchen made Roasted Pepper and Sweet Potato Soup, a fab warming meal using up vegetables so they are not wasted. Brilliant Autumn fare.

Anneli from Delicieux shared her recipe for Deluxe Cottage Pie using oxtail, a sumptuous and comforting dish using a thrifty cut of meat.

 

Gayathri from Spices Galore made some Butternut Squash Pav Bhaji, a great way to liven up chilly Autumn evenings and use up leftover pumpkin from Halloween.

Shaheen from Allotment to Kitchen made a Curry Coleslaw which can be used to fill tortillas or eaten with baked potatoes. A delicious and versatile thrifty recipe! 

Alida from My Little Kitchen submitted another recipe, Marinated Anchovies, which keep well in the fridge for a while and make a great starter for a dinner party.

Johanna from Green Gourmet Giraffe baked a mouthwatering Boozy Chocolate Cake, great with a cuppa and the perfect finale for the round-up this month!

Thanks so much to all of those who entered Credit Crunch Munch in October, there are so many wonderful recipes!  If you feel inspired and want to enter in November, pop over to Sarah's blog Dinner With Crayons and link up. 

7 comments Biscuits, Breakfast, Budgeting Tips, Cakes, Dinners, Lunches, Pasta, Salad, Snacks, Soup, Vegetarian